The SAIL Top 10 Best Boats

With the Sakonnet 23, designer Joel White sought to design a simple daysailer that offers “good speed, comfortable seating for four, and good looks,” because “a properly designed daysailer gives the maximum in boating pleasure for the dollars spent.” I think it’s safe to say that this double-ended daysailer built by Edey & Duff accomplishes White’s simple goal. Its lines are

Boats from Southerly Yachts may look like many other offshore cruising boats, but they have a trick up the trunk—the ability to combine the stability of moderate displacement and a heavy fixed keel with the versatility of a variable-draft swing keel. As anyone can attest who has dug a fixed keel into a shoal, or been on a boat that was too deep to get into a shallow gunkhole,

Voluminous cruising catamarans have a reputation for being ideal charterboats, but the boat builders at PDQ Yachts are quick to point out that the new Antares 44i cruising cat is not intended to be a charterboat. Rather, they say, it’s a sturdy, well-equipped bluewater cruiser built specifically for private owners. They also report that the accommodations plan is well suited to long-term

Proas were all the rage back in the 60s when tacking your entire rig (shunting) was a small price to pay for the speed potential of a multihull that had the reduced wetted surface of one main hull and one stabilizing hull. As catamarans and trimarans continued to set speed records and become increasingly popular and easy to sail, it looked like the proa had gone the way of

The Broadblue 42 is the latest cruising cat designed specifically for owners with offshore-cruising aspirations, and it appears to have all the right comfort and safety features. It has the large saloon, the bright, airy interior, the well-designed galley, and the four private cabins you’d expect on a cat that’s 42 feet long and over 20 feet wide, as well as watertight

South African catamaran specialist Robertson and Caine has been known for building production boats that were distinctively South African, with bridgedeck clearances slightly lower than those seen on French or Canadian cruising cats and hull shapes a bit wider in the stern to provide more buoyancy aft. The thinking was that a lower bridgedeck reduces the boat’s center of

Not so long ago, compact coastal cruisers usually provided cramped quarters and minimal comfort, but the new Hunter 27 is cut from an entirely different mold. It’s only 27 feet long, but its 6 feet, 2 inches of headroom and nearly 10 feet of beam provide enough internal volume for cruising amenities not often found on 27-foot boats. Being able to stand up down below is

The Bavaria 30 is an entry-level cruiser with all the features that any sailor would look for in a coastal cruiser. With each of its two cabins equipped with a double bunk, hanging locker, and small open area, the interior is large enough to accommodate two couples or a small family on a weekend (or even longer) cruise. The straight settees in the saloon are over 6 feet